State Dept: Clinton may be up for testifying on Benghazi, in the future

Smart Power Reset by Leading from Behind or Forward…or something…

“The Federal Security Service in Russia has revealed the identity of the CIA’s station chief in Moscow in a breach of protocol.

The revelation, made by an FSB spokesman who accused the US agency of crossing a “red line” in its attempt to recruit turncoats among Russian spy agencies, will up the ante in the unfolding spy scandal that emerged earlier this week when Russia detained and expelled an alleged CIA agent working undercover as third secretary at the US embassy in Moscow.

Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy advisor, have taken pains to say they believe the scandal will blow over quickly.

Publicly revealing the CIA station chief proves that some inside the Russian government believe otherwise and is likely to prompt an angry response from Washington….

In that statement, the spokesman included the station chief’s name.

The US embassy declined to comment…”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/17/russia-reveal-identity-cia-moscow-chief

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 8:53 AM

Unexpectedly…

“Obama adminstration talking points scrubbed jihadists from Cairo as well as Benghazi

In the days after the Benhazi attack, the State Department scurried to cover up its failure to heed warnings of such attacks while the White House scurried to cover up the fact that that attacks were the work of al Qaeda-linked terrorists of the sort President Obama supposedly had largely vanquished. The final Benghazi “talking points” and Susan Rice’s talk show appearances represent the product of this scurrying.

To help advance the narrative that the Benghazi attacks were spontaneous, and thus (a) not to have been anticipated and (b) not linked to al Qaeda, the talking points tied Benghazi to the events of the same day in Cairo. There, unlike in Benghazi, a protest had occurred.

Here is what the final version of the talking points said on this subject:

The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. diplomatic post and subsequently its annex. There are indications that extremists participated in the violent demonstrations.

Through these two sentences, the administration succeeded in misleading Congress about events in both Benghazi and Cairo.

The statement about Benghazi is simply false. There was no spontaneously inspired protest; rather, there was a pre-planned attack.

In Cairo, as noted, there were protests. But, as Tom Joscelyn argues, the protests were pre-planned, with jihadists playing a prominent role.

Multiple early versions of the CIA-drafted talking points make this clear. For example, the CIA stated:

On 10 September, the Agency notified Embassy Cairo of social media reports calling for a demonstration and encouraging jihadists to break into the Embassy.

The “social media reports” in question included a September 10 tweet from Mohammed al Zawahiri, the younger brother of al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri. He called on “the sons of the Jihadi Movement to participate tomorrow in the demonstration in front of the American Embassy.” And he included a banner displaying an al Qaeda-style black flag in his tweet.

That banner featured prominently during the 9/11 demonstration in Cairo. Says Joscelyn, protesters waved dozens of them as they chanted “Obama, Obama, we are all Osama.” The message was clear: jihad in general, and al Qaeda in particular, live on without Osama bin Laden.

This was precisely the message the Obama administration wished to suppress. And, for its part, the State Department wanted to suppress the fact that, not only were there warnings about danger to facilities in Libya, but also warnings about planned jihadist activity at the embassy in Cairo on 9/11/12.

Accordingly, the talking points were edited to remove any reference to “jihadists” threatening the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.

As Joscelyn concludes:

The early versions of the Benghazi talking points were right to highlight the threat posed by “jihadists” in Cairo. The thread connecting Cairo to Benghazi is plain to see: Al Qaeda-linked jihadists helped orchestrate both.

The Obama administration’s edits removed them from the story…”

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/05/obama-adminstration-talking-points-scrubbed-jihadists-from-cairo-as-well-as-benghazi.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+powerlineblog%2Flivefeed+%28Power+Line%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 8:59 AM

David Brooks wants to remind Americans that he still admires the crisp crease in Il Duce’s pants and that we should all calm down cause we’re addicted to scandal or something…

“In his most recent column, The New York Times’ David Brooks downplayed the scandal over last September’s Benghazi terrorist attack. He declared that the maneuvering from the Obama administration was less a cover-up than an interagency turf war…

The “scandal culture” as he described it has become a means to achieve an edge on political opponents, he said and it has become an addiction that has hindered the political process…”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/05/18/david-brooks-we-as-a-country-have-become-over-addicted-to-scandal/#ixzz2Tk9WAo2f

*blech*

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 9:05 AM

Uhoh…

“Contrary to the official version of events told by the IRS, the targeting of conservative groups did not begin in 2010, but started at least as early as 2009.

The Coalition For Life, a pro-life group from Cedar Rapids, Iowa was questioned by an IRS agent in Cincinnati named “Ms. Richards” as early as April, 2009. The Coalition stated to the IRS that it was “organized for charitable, religious and educational activities.”

Some of the questions asked about the prayer meetings the group held and what was written on signs that the group held when protesting Planned Parenthood. More than 150 pages of correspondence between the organization and the IRS occurred in 2009, even though the group’s assertion that it was “organized for charitable, religious and educational activities” qualified it as a tax-exempt entity under 501(c)(3) status.

Friday’s testimony in Washington by IRS officials stated that the targeting of conservative groups only began in 2010 after a plethora of Tea Party and Liberty groups applied for 501(c)(4) status.

Despite the fact that 501(c)(3) organizations are permitted to have religious activities and advocate on non-partisan issues, some of the queries sent to Coalition For Life included:

Please explain how all of your activities, including prayer meetings, held outside Planned Parenthood are considered educational as defined under 501(c)(3)?

Please explain in detail the signs that are being held up outside Planned Parenthood, and explain how they are considered educational.

The Coalition For Life’s attorney answered the IRS in 2009:

These inquiries indicate some very wrong assumptions about the coalitions and the applicable law. As a result, the coalition has been prejudiced and has suffered harm since it is unable to solicit and receive tax deductible charitable contributions…”

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/19/IRS-Targeted-Pro-Life-Group-in-2009-Earlier-Than-IRS-Claims-Targeting-Began

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 9:12 AM

Publicly revealing the CIA station chief…is likely to prompt an angry response from Washington….

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 8:53 AM

HA HA HA! That part was a joke, right?

IrishEi on May 19, 2013 at 9:13 AM

Well it was a British media report…I suppose we could amend that to prompt an impotent response from Washington

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 9:16 AM

“Camelot Is Burning

The fact remains that this country is at a pivotal point. What we do or don’t do right now will impact generations to come. Camelot is burning. Will the water-carrying media try to douse the flames? Probably.

Eric Bolling of The Five said it well the other night: “Can we simply have the truth?” A simple question. What may extinguish the flames is the truth. You know it as well as I do…”

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/05/18/Camelot-Is-Burning

(Shamelot is what I’d call it…)

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 9:21 AM

What doctored email by “a Republican?” What is he talking about?

ExpressoBold on May 19, 2013 at 9:16 AM

That is the demoratic agitprop meme of the week being pushed allover social media.

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 9:22 AM

are you going to over reach here, why are you bashing hillary
-candy

cmsinaz on May 19, 2013 at 9:23 AM

Affirmative Action Incongruity…It’s what’s for Breakfast!

In the New Fascist Progressivism…Minority civil servants cannot be fired….ever!

workingclass artist on May 19, 2013 at 9:31 AM